Hemorrhoidectomy - What you might want to know

47 year old Australian woman with 30+ years of Hemorrhoids. This has taken the form of annoying skin tags to full blown throbbing internal and external hemorrhoids. after having a colonoscopy ( history of bowel cancer) I decided to get whatever was back there removed. The colonoscopy wasnt so bad..

my surgeon did try and steer me away from surgery telling me Id need up to 2 weeks off work, but I felt Id be the exception..

on surgery day i was on my way to swelling - great!!

everyone is different, everyones experience is different, everyones symptoms and surgeries are different, but id love if we could share our experience on this forum. it helped me to not feel alone, it would also help to hear about what helps on the other side of surgery...

my prep

the day before I ate a small sushi at lunch and then didnt eat again

my instructions were fasting from midnight for a 6am admission

at hospital

wonderful nurses

an enema

my surgery

3 external, 1 internal

stitches

no padding other than a pad in my underwear for protection

length of surgery

i was prepped at 8am and in recovery by 930am

day surgery

i was not allowed to leave until I peed - its a thing - and it took me 5 hours to pee!

Pain level

minimal while in hospital

minimal for the first 24 hours. I went for a short walk the next day. Oh joy and ha ha you didnt get me!

Day 2 - oh no! the only pain relief i had was over the counter panadol

The pain after surgery is like a h attack (Im not going to write it every time - I hate that word) - it is a throbbing ache that doesnt go away but it felt manageable

the pain on going to the toilet is pretty freaking bad - see below

and for the first 6 days i could only lie down or stand with that constant burning ache ever present

day 7 and the pain in general is at a 2 - manageable

sometimes when i need to pee I'll involuntary tighten my sphincter and that makes me gasp out loud

coughing and sneezing hurt

i stupidly thought on day 1 Id masturbate for some natural pain relief - nope bad choice!!

i still cannot sit and have to drape myself sideways on one cheek, or lean forward with my weight on my sit bones..

Toileting

ok so yes i found it really really painful.. my pain scale is 8 is unbearable, 9 is take me to hospital and 10 is kill me now! it was a super high 8. it is searing and red hot and pulses through your whole body, its stretching and like a night after too much spicy food, it hurts and aches and for me i felt the pain inside and out.. i broke out in a full body sweat and i didnt think i could stand up after. i couldnt bear the thought of wiping.

i did have a stool to put my feet up on but i couldnt lift my feet.. so I just endured.

im on day 7 now and the pain is probably a 6.. while the act of passing is not as an intense i feel a very dramatic and spectacular pain that radiates from inside to outside as soon as Ive passed anything - no matter how tiny or how soft..

oh and i bleed, every time.. bright red blood.. on the first few days it would drip in to the toilet.. now its not as significant but still there a week later.

i used to be a person who defecated maybe once a day and now its up to 5 times a day! there is a constant pressure at first and i dont know if i need to poo or fart. FYI farts hurt too! sometimes its the real thing and sometimes its the tiniest little drop of poo - the level of pain is the same regardless.. good times right?!?

pain relief

i took over the counter panadol probably 3 times a day for the first 4 days. i dont feel like it lessened my pain level so i stopped.

ive found hobbling to my shower and having hot water run over my wound so so soothing. i only have a shower (no bath) and i get down on all 4s and just let the hot water bring some relief

i then sit on the floor and gently clean the area with a disposable wipe. im always so nervous but i have actually found touching the area doesnt really hurt. but i am very very gentle.

after the shower i put on a numbing gel (one that I used when i was having a full blown h attack) and i stick a small ice pack wrapped in a thin cloth against my sphincter.

i put on a healing meditation that i never tend to hear because i cant stop focussing on the pain and i wait for the pain to subside, maybe thats about an hour..

i have started heating up a wheat pack and i position that so the warmth radiates through my bum and this has been my greatest source of comfort. Im guessing a hot water bottle would be just as good..

i am also prescribed diazepam for anxiety (separate condition/no relation) and i decided on day 3 to take one tablet when i woke up at 3am in a bid to quell the growing anxiety i had at knowing Id have to go to the toilet in a few hours.. it did nothing to lessen the pain in my arse but did give my brain a breather from worrying.. i take that now every morning (when i wake at 1am or 3am or 5am) and it just takes the pressure off my mind..

so from my experience it really hurts, pretty bad.. but so do hemorrhoids!

Eating

for 2 days i ate white bread with smooth peanut butter, plain boiled white rice and drank apple juice

i took/take a stool softner every night at dinner

i take antibiotics 3 times a day for 7 days

day 3 I decided to eat what my body asked for. i eat vegetarian (partner is vego) but i craved protein so I ate ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches, i ate grilled cheese sandwiches, i ate chocolate, i ate roast chicken, i ate bananas and strawberries and apples, i ate burgers and chips,, i ate cake.. 2 nights ago i had spicy bean pie. probably not my best choice due to the beans and hence the farts - but it was fine. i think as long as im taking the stool softener and not eating big meals - enjoy eating.

whats weird

1.needing to poo 5 times a day. i put it down to the laxatives but Im too scared to stop them and be in more pain when i need to go. so im

basically chained to my home. i get 10 ms out the front door and feel like i need to go so I go home rather than risk an accident

2. i cant hold it in. i used to be a champion holder and probably 1/2 the reason im in the trouble Im in but i cannot hold on at all. please just let that be a phase

3. the smell.. its like a weird chemical smell, no poo smell at all

4. how much our sphincter moves with EVERY body movement

if youve read this far - welcome to the club!

if youve had the procedure please share with what worked and doesnt work for you. my google search history was full of every question that popped in to my head and it wasnt until finding this forum I found some real user experiences.

ask questions - dont be afraid, dont be grossed out (remember we had a host of strangers looking up our bums!)

be very gentle with yourself and give yourself permission to heal in a way that suits you

I will check back in on the forum and ill update you on that magic day when a poo is just a poo!

good luck

Jo

1 like, 1 reply